452. The Small Significant Thing

To us big things are important, small things are not, VIPs are attended. Others are formally received. Karna's earnings were his protective cover. Hanuman giving the news of Sita to Rama said, "Saw, Sita" instead of " I found Sita " . He is an incarnation of wisdom. This incident is oft quoted for his thougtfulness. Engineers know the efficiency of a machine is vastly affected by the way the parts are perfectly fitted. In the lives of great men there are turning points of great initial success. Apparently all of them are small events. A rising star in public life falls down suddenly. What caused it is mostly a slip of the tongue. Someone went to a coffee estate 3000 feet high. He loves coffee. Now he hoped to get the very best. They did give him the best, but it was not drinkable. He could not know why. At that height water boils not at 1000 F but at 970F. That small difference matters.

Someone was using a machine. As the floor was uneven there was a small tilt, may be of a mm. It broke down regularly once a month, occasionally twice. It made him think about the uneven surface. He inserted a little card board underneath. There was no more tilt. It did not break down for 2 months. A man was known for perfection. Whatever he does, whatever article he produces, will be perfect. But his company remains small for a long time. He attends to all small things himself. Wherever his attention is not there, imperfection arises. So, he subconsciously believes that, to maintain the perfection, he needs to be a small company. We see efficient companies lose their efficiency when they grow big. We also see the public have a greater confidence in bigger companies as the quality will be reliable. The secret of growing in size with the accompanying increase in efficiency lies in what is called ORGANISATION of details.

If you are a highly qualified efficient person stagnating at the bottom of your organisation, look into yourself. You may have the capacity for efficiency but may, out of frustration, not express it in your work. Take the greatest possible interest in the smallest possible details as newly promoted people to be the head of the department does, no longer you will be there. The outer life is a reflection of the inner life. Capacity to pay attention to small details requires Himalayan Patience of a perfectionist. If the rewards are not immediate, one neglects them. Paying attention to them brings reward.